Why you should listen

Hersman is the CEO of BRCK, a rugged, self-powered, mobile Wi-Fi device that connects people and things to the Internet in areas of the world with poor infrastructure. He leads a number of web and mobile projects through organizations including iHub, a Nairobi community center that’s an epicenter for Kenya’s booming tech industry. The mobile app Ushahidi, which he co-developed, allows users to share breaking news through text messaging and continues to revolutionize and empower journalists, watchdog groups and everyday people around the world.

What others say

“I recently watched a TED.com talk about a new online tool called Ushahidi (Kenyan for "witness") and the great value of donating time and knowledge on a global scale. It further confirmed for me that there is a solution to the problems facing the less fortunate: Compassion is the answer.” — Aloe Blacc, WP

Erik Hersman’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Erik Hersman

The TED Fellows program brings together young world-changers from many fields, from art to tech to activism, and encourages them to mix and combine and think big. On Monday morning we heard from a representative sample … Graffiti’s unifying vantage point. Street artist eL Seed shares the story of his most ambitious project yet: a mural […]

Only one thing is constant in the world — that things will continually change and evolve. Session 9 of TEDGlobal 2013, called “Forces of Change,” will explore how, in recent years, much of the change happening in the world has originated in Africa or Asia. This session, which will be guest curated by TED Fellows Erik […]

Ushahidi’s new video explains how it crowdsources crisis information via text messaging and the web so citizens can easily access the latest reports (represented visually on GoogleMaps) and swiftly respond to crisis developments. Initially a quick fix scraped together in two days to track violence following Kenya’s 2008 election, the open source platform has evolved […]